Heeellloo!! It's been months since I last blogged and I am so thrilled to be back at it, talking about one of my most favorite ingredients - KALE!

As for my absence, what can I say - starting your own business is a lot of work and I was incredibly distracted through the holidays, which is a good thing. As it goes in the first month of our new year, one of my goals is to be more consistent in 2016! Since I am also trying to reset my eating habits and get back to healthier choices, I'm starting with a recipe that fits the bill. I'm guessing many of you are also looking for inspiration to stick to your healthy goals and I think you're gonna like this one!

It's no secret that I love kale. I love how healthy and versatile it is. Being so incredibly hearty works to this leafy greens advantage in that it can stand up to various cooking methods and easily pair with big bold flavors. Admittedly, it may be a bit of an acquired taste, but if you want to live healthfully, than it's in your best interest to learn to love kale since it's high in all kinds of vitamins, minerals, and cancer-fighting antioxidants. Woo-hoo!

If you are weary, this Kale "Pesto" happens to be a great starter recipe because you won't even realize you are eating kale! I promise! And by serving the sauce over salmon or chicken, tossed with whole wheat pasta, or swirled into some scrambled eggs or spread over whole grain toast you can add a huge boost of flavor and nutrients to any meal, without piling on a ton of calories!

Disclaimer - Traditional basil pesto also has grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese. To make this version healthier, I have opted to leave it out. However, if you feel so inclined, either cheese would absolutely make a great addition to this "pesto" as well. So I leave that to your discretion.

How to:Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Curly leaf kale or dino kale are the two most commonly found at my farmers markets or grocery stores. I assume the same is true for most of you. I chose curly this time, but dino kale works just as well.​(FYI - dino, a.k.a. lacinato kale is a longer, flatter leaf).

To prep kale, pull the leaves off the thick stems. If I am prepping for a salad recipe, I will tear them into small bite-size pieces as I do this. For this particular recipe, the food processor will do all the work, so simply tear haphazardly!

Kale can tend to be pretty dirty, especially if you buy at a farmers market, so place the leaves in a big bowl filled with cold water. Agitate the leaves in the water and let them soak for a few minutes, or longer if really dirty. Basically, just give them a good ol' soak. For the record, this is how I clean fresh herbs as well, just using a smaller bowl.

After a few minutes, lift the kale out of the water and place in a salad spinner or set on layers of paper towel to dry. Do not pour the kale and the water out together or all the dirt that settled on the bottom will simply wash back over all your clean leaves. If you notice that the kale is still dirty, rinse out the bowl and give the kale another soak. Once the leaves are clean and fairly dry, transfer to two sheet pans lined with parchment paper.

Roasting the kale leaves takes only a few minutes, but it brightens up the color of the kale and truly enhances the flavor. Just like toasting nuts or spices brings out their flavors. This will make our pesto all the more robust! Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, then roast in a 350 degree oven for 4-7 minutes, just until bright green in color and very tender.

Once kale is out of the oven, add it in batches to the pistachio crumble. Add lemon juice and about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Process until well chopped, then add another batch of kale leaves and another tablespoon of olive oil until all kale is added and processed. Then, with motor running continue to add a few more tablespoons of olive oil until your desired consistency is reached. You can always add more olive oil later as you use it throughout the week.

Check seasoning and add a little more salt, pepper or lemon juice to taste. Then scoop into a storage container and refrigerate. Pesto will last up to 6 days.

This looks like a great recipe Miss Emily. I am looking forward to making it. Thank you for sharing. Blessings to you always.

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Hi! I'm Emily, and this is the official blog of Guest Chef, my personal chef and catering business serving Metro Detroit. As much as I love to cook for people, I also love inspiring others to cook great food for themselves and their friends and family. Which is why I share recipes, tips and inspiration here. Follow along and let's cook something great together!